Carriers made from cardboard or similar materials



Nov. 21; 1967 Filed May 27, 1965 F. D. LAWRENCE 4 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor: FRANK D. LAWRENCE Attorneys Nov. 21, 1967 F. D. LAWRENCE3,353,709

E FROM CARDBOARD OR SIMILAR MATERIALS CARRIERS MAD 4 Sheets-Sheet? FiledMay 27, 1965 1 FRANK QLAWRENCE A ttorneys Nov. 21, 1967 F. D. LAWRENCE3,353,709

CARRIERS MADE FROM CARDBOARD OR SIMILAR MATERIALS Filed May 27;. 1965 4SheetsSheet 3 A ltorneys Nov. 21, 1967 F. D. LAWRENCE 3,353,709

CARRIERS MADE FROM CARDBOARD OR SIMILAR MATERIALS Filed May 27 1965 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor; FRANK D. LAWRENCE W By W Attorneys UnitedStates Patent 3,353,799 v CARRIERS MADE FROM CARDBOARD -0R SIMILARll/IATERIALS Frank I). Lawrence, 38 Bradford Road, Weymouth, Dorset,England Filed May 27, 1965, Ser. No. 459,349 Claims priority,application Great Britain, June 2, 1964, 22,729/64; June 29, 1964,26,771/64 8 Claims. -:(Cl. .220 -1'12') ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Ablank of sheet material intended for making wraparound article-carriers,and wrap-around carriers made from such, a blank, which include anintegral lifting handle which, in use, has portions which enter into thespaces between adjacent articles in the carrier, whereby the risk oftearing of the handle in the regions where it is connected to the "blankis considerably reduced.

This invention relates to a carrier of the kind made from a blank ofsuitable material, for example cardboard, stiff paper or a suitablesynthetic resin, and which can be employed for packaging goods both forStorage and transit. Such carriers, which may be in the form ofwraparound car'riers, are commonly employed for packaging articleshaving a circular cross-section, for example canned or bottled foods orbeverages.

Wrap-around carriers of the aforementioned kind are known which comprisea blank of generally rectangular shape which is divided into a pluralityofpanels by fold lines disposed at right angles to the long sides of theblank. The short sides of the blank may be joined in overlappingrelationship by 'any suitable means, for example staples, glue or otheradhesive or by intereng'ageable means, to form a carrier which canenclose one or more articles.

Usually, "these hitherto known wrap-around carrier blanks are wrappedaround a group of articles so that the short sides of the blank arejoined at the bottom of the carrier and the top of the carrier isusually provided with finger-holes for lifting theca'rrier. Suchfingerholes are satisfactory fora short period of time, but becomerather uncomfortable for the user fora longer period of time.

The provision of a handle for lifting a carrier, while not essential, isof course a convenience for the user. But apart from this, from theselling point of View, it is known that customers tend to choose goodspackaged in carriers with lifting handles when such goods are dis playedamong other goods in for example a self-service store.

An object of the present invention is to provide "a carrier of the kindreferred to which incorporates a lifting handle in a manner which isstructurally strong and which is economical in material.

According to the invention a carrier of the kind referred to is formedfrom a blank having a plurality of end-to-end hingedly connected panels,one of the panels comprising a lifting handle member which extends intoan adjacent panel.

The lifting handle member may be in the form of a strap defined by cutslits or perforations which are formed in said one panel and whichextend into two adjacent panels disposed one on either side of said onepanel.

It is not always preferable, however, to provide a distinct strap in theblank which is separate from, or separable from, the blank along bothside edges of the strap.

The lifting handle member may be arranged equidistantly between oppositeside edges of the blank. In some cases, however, there is advantage inarranging the lifting handle member nearer to one side edge of the blankthan the other.

"According to a further feature of the invention a blank for making acarrier of the kind referred to comprises a plurality ofend-to-endhingedly connected panels, one of the panels comprising alifting handle member which extends into an adjacent :panel.

The panels 'of said blank may be connected by folding lines formed inthe blank in spaced parallel relationship. Thus the blank may comprise apanel intended to form the top panel of the carrier disposed between,and joined by two of said folding lines to, two panels intended to formside panels of the carrier. The blank may also comprise a lap panel-ateach end-of the blank joined by two further folding lines to the ends ofsaid side panels remote from the top panel, said lap panelsbeingintended to form the bottom panel of the carrier.

The lifting handle memberof the blank may be defined by ahandle-defining cut line formed in the top panel and continued byextension cut lines formed in each side panel.

In the case of a blank intended to form a carrier for packaging aplurality of identical containers, the blank preferably comprises meansfor locating the containers in spaced parallel relationship with respectto said top and bottom panels. These locating means may be formed bycontainer positioning slot defining cuts provided in said side panelsadjacent to, and spaced apart along, said folding lines. In this case,said handle defining cut line may pass across each folding lineconnecting a side panel to said top panel at-a point spacedunequidistantly between two adjacent slot defining cuts formed in saidside panel adjacent to said folding line.

Preferably the blank has at least one side edge disposed at right angles'to said folding lines. In the case of a blank intended for packagingaplurality of identical rightcircular cylindrical containers, saidhandle-defining out line may be spaced from said side edge of the blanka distance greater than the diameter of the containers intended to bepackaged in a carrier formed from the blank.

In a modified embodiment of a blank in accordance with the inventionsaid lifting handle member may be defined by two s'trap-defining cutlines spaced apart transversely of the blank and formed in said toppanel, each of said strap-defining cut lines having extension cut linesinsaid side panels.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan of a first embodiment of a carrier blank inaccordance with the invention,

: FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG- URE I wrappedaround a group of four cans to form an assembled 7 carrier,

FIGURE is a perspective view of the assembled carrie'r'of FIGURE 2 as itis held in the hand by means of the l'iftingstrap,

FIGURE 4 is a plan of a second embodiment of acarrier blank inaccordance with the invention,

FIGURE '5 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG- URE 4 wrappedaround a group of six cans to form an assembled carrier, and

FIGURE '6 is a perspective view of the assembled carrier ofFIGURE 5 asit is held in the hand by means of the lifting handle. I

In the drawings, cuts are shown with full lines, folding lines are shownby chain lines and tear lines are shown by dotted lines. I

FIGURE 1 shows a rectangular blank, generally designated by thereference numeral 1, which is made of cardboard and which is intended toform a carrier for packaging four metal cans of circular cross-sectionin contact" with one another and arranged in a group consisting of twopairs of cans, side-by-side. The blank 1 has a width equal to twice therim diameter of the cans and consists of five end-to-end connectedpanels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 separated by four transverse folding lines 7, 8,9 and 10 disposed at right angles to the long side edges 11, 12 of theblank. When the blank is folded to form the carrier shown in FIGURES 2and 3, the panels 3 and 5 form the side panels of the carrier, the panel4 forms the top panel of the carrier and the panels 2 and 6 lap partlyover one another to provide the bottom panel of the carrier.

Each of the side panels 3, 5 has a length substantially equal to thelength of the cans intended to be packaged in the assembled carrier. Thetop panel 4 has a length which is slightly less than twice the diameterof the body portion of the cans intended to be packaged in the assembledcarrier.

Eight conventional can-positioning slits 13 are provided in the sidepanels adjacent to the folding lines 71tl. The central portion of eachcan positioning slit 13 is spaced from the adjacent transverse foldingline by such a distance that the rim of a can is able to project throughthe slot formed by the can-positioning slit when the blank is foldedabout the transverse folding lines to form a carrier.

A lifting strap is disposed mid-way between the long side edges 11, 12of the blank and is formed symetrically in the top panel 4 and the sidepanels 3, 5 by two strap defining slits 14, 15. A parallel-sided centralportion 16 of the strap, parallel with the long side edges of the blank,is formed in the top panel 4 and two end portions 17, 18 of the strapare formed in the side panels 3, 5, each of the end portions havingdiverging sides.

Two finger-hole-defining slits 19 connected by a short folding line 20are formed in the top panel 4 at one side of the parallel-sided portion16 of the lifting strap. The portion 21 between the slits 15, 19 can bedepressed to form a hole enabling a finger to be introduced under thelifting strap to facilitate separation of the strap from the top panel.

Although each of the strap-defining slits 14, is shown as beingcontinuous, the lifting strap may, if desired, be defined by interruptedslits or perforations, so that the edges of the strap remain attached tothe panels 3, 4, 5 of the assembled carrier, until it is desired to tearthe edges of the strap from the panels of the carrier.

FIGURE 2 shows a blank similar to the blank of FIG- URE I wrapped arounda group of four cans 22 arranged in pairs, side-by-side, by folding ofthe panels 2-6 about the transverse folding lines 7-10. The lap panels 2and 6 are overlapped underneath the bottom ends of the cans and stapledtogether. It will be appreciated that other securing means such asadhesive or interengageable parts formed in the panels 2 and 6 could beemployed instead of staples. In this figure the rims 23 of the cans areseen projecting through holes 24 defined inthe panel 3 by the slits 13.

FIGURE 3 shows the carrier of FIGURE 2 being lifted by means of thelifting strap. The end portions 17, 18 of the strap are moved inwardlytowards each other into the spaces formed between adjacent cans 22.Furthermore, the diverging sides of the end portions 17, 18 thrust thetop of each can somewhat outwardly of the carrier towards the open endof the carrier adjacent to said can. Both of these effects ensure thatthe strap can be held comfortably in the hand. Moreover, a certainlocking effect on the cans, preventing movement of the cans within thecarrier, is obtained by the tendency for the tops of the cans to movetowards the open ends of the carrier.

Since the inward movement of the end portions 17, 18 of the liftingstrap towards each other is limited by engagement of the end portions17, 18 against the body portions of adjacent cans 22,, the possibilityof tearing of the 4 panels 3, 5 at the ends of the slits 14, 15 definingthe lifting'strap is minimised.

The end portions 17, 18 of the strap are disposed in relation to theparallel-sided portion 16 in such a way as to minimise the risk oftearing of the strap in the regions where the folding lines 8, 9 crossthe strap. This is due to the inclination of the portion 16 in theregions where the folding lines 8, 9 cross the strap being such as toreduce to a minimum the thrust of the strap against the rims of thecans.

When the carrier is set down, for instance on a display shelf, the strapwill move partly back to the position shown in FIGURE 2, but it willremain sufficiently above the top panel 4 to be readily identifiable tocustomers.

It will be appreciated that modified forms of the car rier shown inFIGURE 2, intended for packaging two or eight cans, may be made with alifting strap formed equidistantly from the side edges of the carrierblank.

Tear lines 25, 26 for facilitating the removal of the cans 22 from theassembled carrier may be provided (optionally) without seriouslyaffecting the strength of the carrier when it is lifted by means of thelifting strap 16, 17, 18. The portions 27 of the side panels 3, 5between the folding lines 8, 9 and the ear lines 26 may be gripped atthe side edge 12 of the carrier and pulled to tear the side panels 3, 5sufficiently to remove two adjacent cans 22 from the carrier. Similarly,the tear lines 25 at the opposite side edge 11 of the carrier may betorn to remove the other two cans from the carrier. In this way, thereis no need to turn the carrier over to separate the overlapping panels 2and 6 and the cans are taken from the carrier the right way up.

FIGURE 4 shows a rectangular blank, generally des ignated by thereference numeral 31, which is made of cardboard and which is intendedfor packaging six metal cans of circular cross-section in contact withone another and arranged in a group consisting of three pairs of cans,side-by-side. The blank 31 has a width equal to three times the rimdiameter of the cans and consists of five end-to-end connected panels32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 separated by four transverse folding lines 37, 38,39 and 40 disposed at right angles to the long side edges 41, 42 of theblank. When the blank is folded to form the carrier shown in FIGURES 5and 6, the panels 33 and 35 form the side panels of the carrier, thepanel 34 forms the top panel of the carrier and the panels 32 and 36 lappartly over one another to provide the bottom panel of the carrier.

Each of the side panels 33, 35 has a length substan tially equal to thelength of the cans intended to be packaged in the assembled carrier. Thetop panel 34 hasa length which is slightly less than twice the diameterof the body portion of the cans intended to be packaged in the assembledcarrier.

Twelve conventional can-positioning slits 43 are provided in the sidepanels adjacent to the transverse folding Iines37-40, these slits beingsimilar to the slits 13 of the blank shown in FIGURE 1.

A lifting handle, defined by a single continuous slit 44, is formed inthe top panel 34 and the side panels 33, 35. A straight portion 45 ofthis slit is formed in the top panel 34 and is disposed parallel withthe long side edges 41, 42 of the blank and this portion of the slit inthe top panel is extended into each of the side panels 33, 35 bystraight slit portions 46, 47 each of which is disposed at an angle tothe adjacent folding line 38, 39. Preferably, the portion 45 of the slit44 is spaced from the side edge 41 of the blank a distance greater thanthe diameter of the cans it is intended to package in a carrier formedfrom the blank. The ends of the slit portions.

46, 47 remote from the folding lines 38, 39, respectively, may be spacedfrom the side edge 41 a distance equal to at least .one and a half timesthe diameter of said cans.

Between the slit 44 and the adjacent long side edge:

41 of the blank, two separate continuous slits 48, 49 connected by afolding line 50 are formed in the top panel 34 and the side panels 33,35, the folding line 50 being formed mid-way between the transversefolding lines 38, 39 and parallel with the long side edge 41 of theblank. Portions 48a, 49a of the slits 48, 49 are formed in the top panel34 and diverge from the ends of the folding line 56 in the directionaway from the side edge 41 of the blank. These portions of the slits 48,49 are extended into the side panels 33, 35 by short portions 48b, 4917,respectively, which diverge from the slits 46, 47, respectively, in thedirection away from the folding lines 38, 39 respectively.

The slits 44, 48, 49 and the folding line 59 define a lifting handle 51.

To facilitate removal of the assembled carrier from a bulk packing case,two finger-hole defining slits 52, 53 connected by a short folding line54 are formed in the top panel 34 at the side edge 42 of the blank, sothat the portion 55 between the slits 52, 53 may be depressed to enablea finger to be introduced under the top panel.

Two finger-hole defining slits 56, 57 connected by a short folding line58 are formed in the top panel 34 at the side of the handle-definingslit 44 remote from the edge 41 of the blank, so that the portion 59between the slits 56, 57 can be depressed to enable a finger to beintroduced under the lifting handle 51 to facilitate separation of thehandle from the top panel.

The lifting handle 51 may, if desired, be defined by interrupted slitsor perforations in the place of the single continuous slit 44 and thepair of separate continuous slits 48, 49, so that the edges of thehandle remain attached to the panels of the assembled carrier until itis desired to tear the edges of the handle from the carrier panels.

FIGURE 5 shows a blank similar to the blank of FIG- URE 4 wrapped arounda group of six cans 62 arranged in pairs side by side by folding of thepanels 32-36 about the transverse folding lines 37-40, The panels 32 and36 are overlapped underneath the bottom ends of the cans and stapledtogether. It will be appreciated that other securing means such asadhesive or interengageable parts formed in the panels 32 and 36 couldbe employed instead of staples.

FIGURE 6 shows the carrier of FIGURE 5 being lifted by means of thelifting handle 51. The end portions 63, 64 of the handle are movedinwardly a limited distance towards each other into the spaces formedbetween adjacent cans 62 in such a way that the handle can be heldcomfortably in the hand. The carrier is inclined to the vertical whenheld normally in the hand, owing to the fact that the lifting handle isnot disposed mid-Way between the side edges 41, 42.

Since the inward movement of the end portions 63, 64 of the liftinghandle towards each other is limited by engagement of these portionswith the cans 62, the possibility of tearing of the panels 33, 35 at theends of the slits 46, 47, 48b and 49b is minimised.

Most of the weight of the cans in the carrier is taken up by the handlein the region of the latter along and adjacent to the slit 44. Thisregion of the handle is well able to support this weight, because theend portions 63, 64 in this region are moved considerably inwardlytowards each other into the spaces formed between adjacent cans andfurthermore are moved somewhat in a direction towards the edge 41 of theblank. Both of these effects ensure that the portions of the handle inthe regions of the transverse folding lines 38, 39 are positioned inrelation to the rims of adjacent cans in such a way as to reduce to aminimum the possibility of tearing in these regions.

When the carrier is set down, for instance on a display shelf, thehandle 51 will move partly back to the position shown in FIGURE 5, butit will remain sufficiently above the top panel 34 to be readilyidentifiable to customers.

If desired, the pair of separate slits 48, 4 formed in the top and sidepanels of the blank and the folding line 50 may be eliminated, so thatthe handle is defined by the slit 44 only.

It will be appreciated that a modified form of the carrier shown inFIGURE 5 intended for packaging three cans arranged in a single row, oreight cans arranged in pairs, can be made with a lifting handle formedbetween the first and second can-positioning slits 43, counted from aside edge 41 or 42, in the folding lines 38, 39, as in the abovedescribed carrier. But in the case of a modified carrier for ten cansarranged in pairs, the lifting handle may, if desired, be formed betweenthe second and third can-positioning slits 43 in the folding lines 38,39.

Tear lines 65, 66, 67, serving the same purpose as the tear lines 25, 26of the blank of FIGURE 1, may be provided (optionally), Withoutseriously affecting the strength of the carrier when it is lifted bymeans of the lifting handle 51.

In the case of necked containers being packaged in carriers of the typedescribed above with reference to FIGURES 1 to 6, apertures may beprovided in the top panel of the carrier to allow the necked portions ofthe containers to project therethrough.

The above described carrier blanks described with reference to FIGURES 1and 4 use no more material than, and can be manufactured as easily as,hitherto known wrap-around carriers, and moreover can, if desired, beapplied to a group of cans by existing machines.

Whilst carriers formed from specific blanks have been described indetail above, it must be appreciated that the invention is not limitedto these blanks or to carriers formed from these blanks.

I claim:

1. A blank of sheet material for making a carrier intended for packagingarticles having at least upper parts of circular cross-section, saidblank being divided into a plurality of end-to-end connected panels byfolding lines disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinalaxis of said blank, one of said panels comprising a strap handle definedby two spaced apart strap-defining slit means selected from the groupconsisting of a continuous slit, a line of interrupted slits and a lineof perforations, which'are formed in said one panel and which arecontinued by extension slit means, selected from the group consisting ofa continuous slit, a line of interrupted slits and a line ofperforations, formed in a pair of panels disposed one on either side of,and connected by a pair of folding lines to, said one panel, the centralportion of the lifting strap being disposed substantially centrallybetween two adjacent article positioning means formed at one foldingline of said pair of folding lines and two adjacent article positioningmeans formed at the other folding line of said pair of folding lines,these four article positioning means being arranged substantiallysymmetrically with respect to said longitudinal axis of said blank andpermitting lateral movement of said parts of said articles adjacent tosaid article positioning means when said articles are packaged in saidcarrier formed from said blank.

2. A blank of sheet material for making a wrap-around carrier dividedinto a plurality of end-to-end connected panels by folding linesdisposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of saidblank, one of said panels comprising a lifting strap defined by twospaced apart slit means, selected from the group consisting of acontinuous slit, a line of interrupted slits and a line of perforations,which are formed in said one panel and which are continued by extensionslit means, selected from the group consisting of a continuous slit, aline of interrupted slits and a line of perforations, formed in a pairof said panels disposed one on either side of, and connected by a pairof folding lines to, said one panel, the central portion of said liftingstrap being disposed substantially centrally between two adjacentarticle posi- 7. tioning slits formed at one folding line of said pairof folding lines and two adjacent article positioning slits formed atthe other folding. line of said pair of folding lines, these fourarticle positioning slits being arranged angles to the longitudinal axisof the blank, one of said panels comprising a lifting strap defined bytwo spaced apart slit means selected from the group consisting of acontinuous slit, a line of interrupted slits and a line of perforations,which are formed in said one panel and which are continued by extensionslit means, selected from the group consisting of a continuous slit, aline of interrupted slits and a line of perforations, formed in a pairof said panel's disposed one on either side of, and connected by a pairof said folding lines to, said one panel, the central portion of thelifting strap being disposed substantially centrally between twoadjacent article positioning openings formed at one folding line of saidpair of folding lines and two adjacent article positioning openingsformed at the other folding line of said pair of folding lines, thesefour article positioning openings being arranged substantiallysymmetrically with respect to said longitudinal axis of said blank.

4. A blank of sheet material for making a carrier intended forpack-aging articles having at least upper parts of circularcross-section, said blank being divided into a plurality of end-to-endconnected panels by folding lines disposed substantially at right anglesto the longitudinal axis of said blank, one of said panels comprising alifting strap which extends into a pair of said panels disposed one oneither side of said one panel, said lifting strap being defined by astrap-defining slit means, selected from the group consisting of acontinuous slit, a line of interrupted slits and a line of perforations,formed in said one panel and continued by an extension slit means,selected from the group consisting of a continuous slit, 2. line ofinterrupted slits and a line of perforations, formed in each of saidpair of panels, the lifting strap being disposed substantially in aportion of said blank between said longitudinal axis of said blank andone side edge of said blank, the junction between each said extensionslit means and said strap-defining slit means formed in said one panelbeing spaced from the longitudinal axis of said blank and disposed insaid portion of said blank, at least parts of said extension slit meansdiverging from each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis ofsaid blank.

5. A blank of sheet material for making a carrier intended for packagingarticles having at least upper parts of circular cross-section, saidblank being divided into a plurality of end-to-end connected panels byfolding lines disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinalaxis of the blank, one of said panels comprising a lifting strap whichextends into a pair of said panels disposed one on either side of saidone panel, said lifting strap being defined by a strap defining slitmeans, selected from the group consisting of a continuous slit, a lineof interrupted slits and a line of perforations, formed in said onepanel and continued by an extension slit means selected from the groupconsisting of a continuous slit, a line of interrupted slits and a lineof perforations, formed in each of said pair of panels, said liftingstrap being disposed substantially in a portion of said blank betweensaid longitudinal axis of said blank and one side edge of said blank,the junction between each said extension slit means and saidstrap-defining slit means formed in said one panel being spaced fromsaid longitudinal axis of said blank and disposed in said portion ofsaid blank, said strap-defining slit means being disposed nearer to saidlongitudinal axis of said blank than a pair of additional strap-definingslit means, selected from the group consisting of a continuous slit, aline of interrupted slits and a line of perforations, formed in said onepanel and continued respectively into said pair of panels.

6. A carrier containing at least one row of articles having, at leastupper parts of circular cross-section, said one row comprising onearticle which is disposed nearer to the center of the carrier than is anadjacent article, said carrier being formed from a blank of sheetmaterial divided into a plurality ofend-to-end connected panels byfolding lines disposed substantially at right angles to longitudinalaxis of said blank, one of said panels comprising a lifting strap whichextends into a pair of panels disposed one on either side of, andconnected by a pair of folding lines to, said one panel, said liftingstrap being defined by a strap defining slit means, selected from thegroup consisting of a continuous slit, a line of interrupted slits and aline of perforations, formed in said one panel and continued by anextension slit means, selected from the group consisting of a continuousslit, a line of interrupted slits and a line of perforations, formed ineach of said pair of panels, the lifting strap being disposedsubstantially entirely in a portion of said blank between saidlongitudinal axis of said blank and one side edge of said blank, atleast one of said extension slit means being disposed substantiallybetween said one article and said adjacent article and disposed nearerto said one article than to said adjacent article.

7. A carrier as claimed in claim 6, in which the junctions between saidextension slit means and said strapdefining slit means are disposed oneon each of said pair of folding lines and spaced substantiallyequidistantly from .said longitudinal axis of said blank, one of saidextension slit means diverging from the other and extending towards andterminating closely adjacent the longitudinal axis of said blank.

8. A package comprising at least one row of articles in an erectposition, said articles having at least upper parts of circularcross-section, and a carrier blank of sheet material Wrapped around saidarticles, said blank being of one piece construction and having edgessubstantially parallel to its longitudinal axis and divided into aplurality of end-to-end connected panels by folding lines disposedsubstantially at right angles to said longitudinal axis, one of saidpanels constituting the upper part of said carrier, a pair of saidpanels disposed one on either side of and connected by a folding line tosaid one panel constituting side panels, said one panel having a liftingstrap defined by at least two spaced apart strap-defining slit meansformed in said one panel and continued by extension strap defining slitmeans formed in said side panels, at least parts of said extension slitmeans diverging from each other in the direction from said one panel tosaid side panel, two adjacent article positioning slits formed at eachof said folding lines between said side panels and said one panel toreceive and position said upper parts of the articles, the longitudinalaxis of said lifting strap being disposed substantially centrallybetween said two adjacent article positioning slits formed at each ofsaid folding lines, said article positioning slits positioning saidarticles relative to said extension slit means to permit movement ofsaid extension strap between said articles.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,359,298 10/ 1944 Brogden 229162,598,051 5/1952 Guyer et al. 229-52 2,662,684 12/1953 Robins 229-522,723,027 11/1955 Guyer 2066 5 2,786,572 3/1957 Gentry 20665 2,842,3047/ 1958 Ringler 2295 1 3,094,268 6/1963 Swanson et al. 229-52 3,122,3022/1964 Wood 2294O JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

G. O. RALSTON, D. M. BOCKENEK,

Assistant Examiners.

1. A BLANK OF SHEET MATERIAL FOR MAKING A CARRIER INTENDED FOR PACKAGINGARTICLES HAVING A LEAST UPPER PARTS OF CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION SAID BLANKBEING DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF END TO-END CONNECTED PANELS BY FOLDINGLINES DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OFSAID BLANK, ONE OF SAID PANELS COMPRISING A STRAP HANDLE DEFINED BY TWOSPACED APART STRAP-DEFINING SLIT MEANS SELECTED FROM THE GROUPCONSISTING OF A CONTINUOUS SLIT, A LINE OF INTERRUPTED SLITS AND A LINEOF PERFORATIONS, WHICH ARE FORMED IN SAID ONE PANEL AND WHICH ARECONTINUED BY EXTENSION SLIT MEANS, SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OFA CONTINUOUS SLIT, A LINE OF INTERRUPTED SLITS AND A LINE OFPERFORATIONS, FORMED IN A PAIR OF PANELS DISPOSED ONE ON EITHER SIDE OF,AND CONNECTED BY A PAIR OF FOLDING LINES TO, SAID ONE PANEL, THE CENTRALPORTION OF THE LIFTING STRAP BEING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLYBETWEEN TWO ADJACENT ARTICLES POSITIONING MEANS FORMED AT ONE FOLDINGLINE OF SAID PAIR OF FOLDING LINES AND TWO ADJACENT ARTICLE POSITIONINGMEANS FORMED AT THE OTHER FOLDING LINE OF SAID PAIR OF FOLDING LINES,THESE FOUR ARTICLE POSITIONING MEANS BEING ARRANGED SUBSTANTIALLYSYMMETRICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID BLANK ANDPERMITTING LATERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PARTS OF SAID ARTICLES ADJACENT TOSAID ARTICLE POSITIONING MEANS WHEN SAID ARTICLES ARE PACKAGED IN SAIDCARRIER FORMED FROM SAID BLANK.